The U.S. Army Cooks` Manual

The U.S. ArmyCooks' Manual

Rations,Preparation, Recipes, Camp Cooking

Featuring excerptsand recipes from early 20th-century manuals produced for U.S. Army cooks and anintroduction giving historical context, this is an entertaining exploration ofjust how the U.S. Army was fed.

An army marches on its stomachso the classic saying goes. This bookbrings together excerpts from contemporary manuals for U.S. Army cooks to showhow the U.S. Army fed and provisioned its troops in the early 20th century andlift the lid on what daily life must have been like both for those preparingand consuming the rations.

The oldest manual included dates from 1896. At this time, the U.S. Army wasinvolved in the last skirmishes of the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American warand the Philippine-American war. The manual prepares a cook for any eventualitywhether in garrison, at camp in the field, or on the march, with instructionson everything from butchery to preserving meat and how to organize the servingof the food and clean utensils (a stew pan with fine sand and salt). As well asclassic American fare such as chowder, numerous hash recipes and Rhode Islandpancakes, more exotic influences are apparent with such delights as CrimeanKebobs, Turkish pillau, "Bombshells" (giant meatballs) and Tamales(chilli beef stew wrapped in corn leaf parcels). By contrast a 1916 manualoffers a detailed consideration of nutrition for the men, and what must be oneof the first calorie counters for different dishes. Instructions are given onhow to assemble a field range in a trench and on a train. Among the moreunusual recipes are "head cheese" (meat stew made from scraps) andpickled pigsfeet. Manuals produced during WWII instructed cooks how to bake avariety of breads, cakes and pies, or how to cook dehydrated products.
With an introduction explaining the historical background, this is afascinating and fun exploration of early 20th-century American army cooking,with a dash of inspiration for feeding your own army!